It takes great leaders to teach great leadership and experienced business executives to influence business strategy. Our course directors and consultants offer many years' experience operating at all levels in many industry sectors

• Neil Laughton

  

  CEO and Course Director

  Neil served in the Royal Marines and Special Air Service Regiment (21 SAS) before founding a group of companies in the construction industry. He grew the organisation to £40m turnover and then sold the business to Balfour Beatty Plc. Neil holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Studies, a Certificate in Direction from the Institute of Directors and is a recipient of the Ness Award for “Inspirational leadership” from the Royal Geographical Society. In his spare time Neil leads adventurous expeditions all over the world. He has completed the Explorers Grand Slam – climbing the highest mountain on each continent including Mt. Everest and skiing to both the Geographic North and South Poles. He has also made twelve first ascents in Greenland, circumnavigated the UK on a jet-ski and piloted the world’s first road legal bio-fuelled flying car across the Sahara Desert.

• Maggie Ellis

  

  Trainer and Executive Coach

  Maggie has a distinguished career as an educator, counsellor, therapist, executive coach and leadership consultant working with senior executives from companies such as BP, BT, Fat Face, Kingfisher, Lloyds, RBS, Sussex Police & World Duty Free. Maggie is the Founder and Director of Lifecentre, a charity providing therapeutic services to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. She has been awarded a Bachelor of Arts, Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Educational Studies, Post Graduate Diploma in Psychosexual Counselling & Therapy and Diploma in Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is an accredited Psychotherapist and specialises in the Academy’s Personality Profiling & Character Analysis training modules. Her interests include personal professional development, hiking, bicycling and Pilates.